Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Mini-vacation #2

(After start of ABVD)

Episode #1

We left last Thursday evening and headed toward the banks of the Greenbrier River. Earlier Pix and Dan had asked if we would like to share their Seebert house in Pocahontas County for the weekend. Without hesitation, we said, "Sure!" Our friends were coming on Friday and we decided to go an evening earlier. Their cabin is located near the waters of the Greenbrier River and the Greenbrier River Trail.

Judy and I arrived at the cabin around 10:30 P.M. We made the beds and prepared for a great night's rest. We both awoke in the morning to the sounds of a Carolina Wren that was broadcasting its call from the back porch.

Around noon, I made a gourmet decision to walk to Jack Horner's Corner for a pizza. The Horner's convenience store sells pizza, souvenirs, ice cream, selected groceries, and rents bicycles, canoes, and floats We ate our pizza on the new porch. Forgot to mention that Horner's Corner now has a new building. It is open and Jack's son, Stewart, and his wife run the store and are continuing the construction. Here is the old building that is now closed.

The new store is great. It is spacious and full of new items.

While waitinf for Pix and Dan to arrive, I left Judy on the back porch reading her Sunday school lessons.

I decided to walk the Greenbrier River Trail and check out the wildflowers.

Here are a few of the plants that were in bloom. The composites are already blooming in full force.

The introduced species were obvious along the path. Below is Viper's Bugloss which is a showy plant covered with prickly hairs. It grows on walls, old quarries and gravel pits, and is common on calcareous soils. The name Bugloss, which is of Greek origin, signifies an Ox's Tongue, and was applied to it from the roughness and shape of the leaves.

The red berries (fruits) of Morrow's Honeysuckle are a great sight. How neat that a milkweed is starting to bloom in the middle of all the berries!

DANGER BELOW! The poison hemlock is blooming. Hemlock is known by several common names. As well as the American "Poison hemlock" and the Irish "Devil's porridge", there are also Beaver Poison, Herb Bennet (not to be confused with the geranium of that name), Musquash Root, Poison Parsley, Spotted Corobane and Spotted Hemlock. The seeds are sometimes called Kecksies or Kex.

As I was returning to the cabin, I noticed some canoers on the river.

To get a closer look, I walked down these steps. Notice how the botton steps were affected by the Greenbrier during one of its flood cycle. Episode 2 and 3 of this adventure cover our Saturday exploits.

Monday, June 29, 2009

BASEMENT UPDATE

As you can see, the only way to dry out the family room was to remove the carpet! The crack in the water pipe was a small and took just a minimal amount of time. Now we are into drying and cleaning. Think we will wait to clean until all is dry.For your enjoyment, here are a few photos of the basement.

Judy and I had a great weekend in Pocahontas County with Pix and Dan. We came home last evening to find that a crack had developed in the water pipe that feeds the cold water to the shower. We have a big job of cleanup today. There were several inches of water in basement. NO DRAIN! When we built the house, the contractors did not place a drain in the basement! Last evening we got most of the standing water. Paint on basement floor is now ruined and we are debating about the carpet.

Trying to decide if we need to tear up the carpet to allow water to get out of the pad and floor covering. Oh, another of life's adventures.

I was planning on blogging about this past weekend's trip. The postings will have to wait until this current adventure is in hand.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

My friend, Bruce, keeps trying to give me the opportunity this week to work in his hay field. Guess it has to do with me saying, "I never have had the great experience of putting up hay."

I remember as a kid the hay technology that produced the square bails that were stacked neatly in the barn. Hay production (from what I hear) is a hot and tiring job.

I can also remember when hay technology advanced to the round bails. It seems that this method is less labor intensive and storage can be in the field.

I really do not think that the plastic wrapping that protects the round bails adds to nature's ambience.

I miss the old method of producing haystacks. The last time I saw a field of original haystacks was on Route 47 as we went to Parkersburg from Glenville, and that was many years ago. There is a skill in producing stacks of hay. Check out the Hur Herald for specific details.

The painter, Claude Monet, also appreciated haystacks. He produced a series of haystack paintings. The primary subjects of all of the paintings in the series are stacks of hay that have been stacked in the field after the harvest season. He painted a twenty-five canvas series that was begun in the autumn of 1890 and continued through the following spring - using that year's harvest.

There is a nostaglia about the haystack that a square or round bail can not even come close to producing. The haystack was a true Appalachian memories of mine.

The newest hay technology, the round bails, try to approach the art of Monet, but it is a feeble attempt. Here for your entertainment is a round bail gallery.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Oh, Come On!

I am wondering if PETA members find that they harbor pubic lice, pinworms, or mange would they still be compassionate for all animals? Just a thought this Wednesday morning. I don't think the Katcha Bug Humane Bug Catcher would be of any use! Read the article below.

WASHINGTON - The group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants the flyswatter in chief to try taking a more humane attitude the next time he's bedeviled by a fly in the White House.

PETA is sending President Barack Obama a Katcha Bug Humane Bug Catcher, a device that allows users to trap a house fly and then release it outside.

"We support compassion even for the most curious, smallest and least sympathetic animals," PETA spokesman Bruce Friedrich said Wednesday. "We believe that people, where they can be compassionate, should be, for all animals."

During an interview for CNBC at the White House on Tuesday, a fly intruded on Obama's conversation with correspondent John Harwood.

"Get out of here," the president told the pesky insect. When it didn't, he waited for the fly to settle, put his hand up and then smacked it dead."Now, where were we?" Obama asked Harwood. Then he added: "That was pretty impressive, wasn't it? I got the sucker."

Friedrich said that PETA was pleased with Obama's voting record in the Senate on behalf of animal rights and noted that he has been outspoken against animal abuses.Still, "swatting a fly on TV indicates he's not perfect," Friedrich said, "and we're happy to say that we wish he hadn't."

Deputy press secretary Josh Earnest said the White House has no comment on the matter.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Ed Has Been Transferred

To Heaven.

Yep, Ed McMahon died this morning in California. He was 86.Who can not forget his introductions of Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show? He was not just an announcer, but was a part of the TV show. He was always sitting on the couch with Johnny and his guests.It is hard to come up to a standard such as Johnny Carson. Conan O'Brien, Jay Leno, and others try - it is not the same. Oh, the memories of watching late night! Gosh, I am getting old! I still can not get over the fact that Drew Carey has replaced Bob Barker on the Price Is Right. Drew can say "Get your animals spayed or neutered" - IT IS NOT LIKE MY OLD FRIEND, BOB BARKER.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Job's Temple

The official close of each year's Folk Festival is the service at historic Job's Temple. The service honors the Folk Festival Belles. Job's Temple was established in the late 1850's when congregants with southern sympathies withdrew from Pisgah Methodist Episopal Church - located approximately two miles east of the Job's Temple site. Job's Temple, now on the National Register of Historic Places, was finished after the men returned to the community following the Civil War.

The earliest interment in the cemetery is that of Margaret Ann Stalnaker Pickens, who died February 13, 1870. She was born in 1852. There are over 140 graves.

Fran Schmetzer was a greeter at the service. The church is a really neat experience.

The minister of this day was Rev. Doris Brunty. She did a fantastic job! Her message involved the legacies that are important in our lives. What a great closing to the 2009 West Virginia State Folk Festival!

Sunday, June 21, 2009

2009 Folk Festival

Friday & Saturday

We had rain on Friday. The square dancing had to stop around 9:30 P.M. because of the storms. The Glenville State College Bell Tower was struck by lightning on Friday morning. Check out http://www.hurherald.com/cgi-bin/db_scripts/articles?Action=user_view&db=articles_hurherald&id=35049 for the details. Saturday was no problem with storms - just hot and humid!The crafters were busy. Debbie Adams above was working on her wonderful dolls. Steve Olstaff was a busy camper. He was helping the kids to learn blacksmithing skills.You have to love a lady that does felting!

Equally wonderful is a lye soap maker who plays the banjo and spoons!

On Saturday, the Lions Parade is always preceeded by their antique car show.

This year before the parade the Webster County Cogar family demonstrated wood chopping.

At 1:30 the parade began! Joe and Amy start the celebration.

The parade featured the antique cars; however, the Barney Mobile was a hit! This marvel of transportation was constructed by Jim Flynn. It was first displayed at the Cancer Society's Relay For Life.

This year we were fortunate to have the 4-H bikers as a part of the parade. The folks traveled from southern West Virginia to Glenville. The trip was a means of providing funding for 4-H scholarships.

The Confederates encamp in the court house area. They always add the much needed taste of history of this celebration.

The West Virginia Belles are a really unique part of the parade. It is required to be over 70 years young in order to participate in the Belle Program.

Here are a few parting shots of the heart of the Festival - the Old-time Music!